Having worked through some challenging times, we can all now learn how to produce a major family celebration with the guidance of two experts. Judy Boerner-Rule and Anne Lyons take us through the planning for a major party, step by practical step. As they know, these complex events, ?be they milestone celebrations - private or corporate, philanthropic or political gatherings or family or business retreats - carry high personal and financial stakes?. What can go wrong? Nearly everything, without meticulous planning. They stress how important it is for the event host to be very clear, and very detailed, about the expectations and budget. As it is often the case that the family office is charged with organising the special family celebration, this article should be extremely helpful. The authors examine the many risks by looking behind the scenes at critical points in an event's life-cycle, starting with its genesis, moving through its planning, and finally its execution. Their goal ?is not to provide a primer on event planning so much as illustrate how a milestone event for UNHW families differs from other elaborate parties. We hope our insight and experiences will help organisations better assess their unique risks and develop proactive mitigation strategies?.